Meet Our Team
Melissa S. Ayre, ESQ. Partner
Melissa’s passion for advocacy and representation of students with disabilities began as a volunteer at a New York State Approved Nonpublic School. Melissa’s interest in assisting children with disabilities grew while attending the University of Vermont, where she provided respite care to families with children with disabilities.
Melissa attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where she participated in a clinical program at Legal Services NYC- Bronx. During her time at Cardozo, Melissa was also a legal intern at Advocates for Children, an organization that provides free legal services to the families of children with disabilities. Continuing her efforts to assist students with disabilities, Melissa advocated for public school students facing suspension via the Suspension Representation Project. Upon graduating from Cardozo, Melissa continued to advocate for families of children with disabilities at Legal Services NYC- Bronx as a Fellow. Following her fellowship, Melissa worked for several years at a Special Education Law firm, where she met Lauren and Eric. Between 2017-2019, Melissa and her husband relocated to Sydney, Australia where, in addition to continuing work as a Special Education attorney, Melissa was a 1:1 reading instructor for Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. Upon her return, Melissa has continued her representation and advocacy of children with disabilities.
Melissa received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. Prior to attending law school, Melissa received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Vermont.
Melissa currently lives in NYC with her family, including her children and rescue dog, Mr. Milo.
Lauren A. Goldberg, ESQ. Partner
Lauren has worked as a special education attorney throughout her legal career. Her interest in special education law began while working as a 1:1 reading instructor for Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. There, Lauren was inspired to attend law school to become an advocate for those with learning differences. She formally entered the world of special education law in 2009, through a legal internship. Since then, Lauren has guided countless families through IEP meetings, mediations, resolution sessions, impartial due process hearings, and administrative and federal court appeals, in both public interest and private law firm settings. This includes several years at a prominent New York City based law firm, where Lauren first met Melissa and Eric. Lauren strongly believes in empowering others through education, in all its forms. She has been a featured speaker in multiple parent workshops, has presented at the Council for Parent Attorneys and Advocates’ (COPAA) annual nation-wide conference, and has mentored numerous new attorneys entering the field of special education law. Lauren further played an active part in the Universal Preschool NOW! campaign in Multnomah County, OR.
Lauren is admitted to practice law in the States of Oregon and New York, as well as in the District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, summa cum laude, from Adelphi University Honors College.
A native New Yorker, Lauren now lives in Portland, OR with her husband. She looks forward to working with families in both of her home states.
Eric Small, ESQ Partner
Eric has been involved with special education students since he was a teenager, when he volunteered throughout high school providing horseback riding lessons for children receiving hippotherapy. While attending Boston College where he obtained degrees in Psychology and Human Development, Eric volunteered providing 1:1 support for a student with Cerebral Palsy at the Boston College Campus School.
Following a year as a family psychologist for a non-profit in Northern Massachusetts, Eric enrolled at the Fordham University School of Law. While a student at Fordham, Eric interned at the Family Advocacy Clinic focusing solely on Special Education Law cases. While there, he won a decision awarding a student with over 500 hours of compensatory education at an enhanced rate. Upon graduation from Fordham Law, Eric worked for several years at a private Special Education Law firm in Queens where he began working in earnest in Special Education Law and where he met Lauren and Melissa. Eric has also previously worked as an Associate at a mid-size litigation firm on Long Island with a focus on Medical Malpractice and General Liability cases.
He lives on Long Island with his miniature husky Cole.